Pastel Society of New Mexico

Short Bio

From fleeting white clouds in blue skies to ships docked and afloat and minimalist studies of fruits and vegetables, the viewer experiences movement created by the mass of individualized strokes varying in depth. Susan E. Roden's pastels are diminutive, vibrant and infused with mood and color. The journey to create has been long and arduous. In 1970 Susan abandoned her art education in Ohio for a lack of funding and was dismayed to see her childhood ambition dashed. The following nineteen years passed with a myriad of jobs including eighteen years as a professional middle eastern dancer with performances in the States, Mexico City, and Honduras. In 1989 opportunity arose and she resumed her education. With a visual communications degree in hand, Susan was employed as an editorial graphic artist in Texas and New Mexico. Simultaneously she maintained a studio for her fine art endeavors and here independently explored and perfected her use of pastels. She entered her paintings to national juried shows to personally validate her credibility since she endured such a lengthy hiatus. Success followed with inclusion to over 110 juried and invitational shows with numerous awards, including the New York?s Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club's Medal of Honor in 1994 and in 2002 a Merit Award at the Pastel Journal's Third Annual Pastel 100 in New Mexico. Her work was featured on the cover of Pastel Artist International Magazine in 2002 with an accompanying article on her technique. With a move in 1998 to San Diego, California, Susan now solely pursues her fine art. Her range varies from figurative to traditional landscapes and yet more contemporary still lifes. In all she quests to instill all with the beauty of life in all it's simplistic, fundamental expressive moods.

Affiliated Organizations
California Art Club, Pasadena, California
Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, New York, New York
Pastel Society of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico